Agenda and minutes

The Council welcomes engagement from members of the public.  To speak at this meeting please register no later than 24 hours prior to the date of the meeting via democracy@southkesteven.gov.uk

There were none.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Lee Steptoe.

Members are asked to disclose any interests in matters for consideration at the meeting.

Councillor Matt Bailey and Max Sawyer declared an interest on agenda item 8 ‘SKDC Car Parking Review’ as they had relatives who were blue badge holders.

The Monitoring Officer had confirmed prior to the meeting they were able to participate on this item.

To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on 24 February 2026.

The minutes from the meeting held on 24 February 2026 were proposed, seconded and AGREED as an accurate record.

There were none.

The Leader of the Council informed the Committee that the Council had been shortlisted for the Customer Service Awards. It was hoped the excellent customer service at the Council would be recognised.

The Leader of the Council presented the report.

The report outlined several key changes of circumstances since the Economic Strategy was adopted in 2025. These included:

·       A reduction in the level of resources the Council has available to support economic development.

·       Local Government Review.

·       The publication of the UK’s modern industrial strategy by the Department of Business and Trade.

·       Creation of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority and the election for a Mayor in May 2025.

It was important the strategy aligned with the Combined Authority growth strategies. Consequently, the Council were aligning their strategies to maximise impact and attract funding resources into the District.

In light of these ongoing developments, it is appropriate for the Council to review the existing strategy and action plan to ensure it remained deliverable and aligned with the Council’s priorities and local/national ambitions.

The Economic Development and Inward Investment Manager was appointed in September 2025. The refreshed strategy would be brought to the Committee in May 2026 and to Cabinet for approval in July 2026.

Since September 2025, the Economic Development Team has continued to deliver actions in the strategy:

-       Working with Grantham Museum in the application for a grant from National Heritage Lottery Fund.

-       Supporting Stamford and Grantham in submitted expressions of interest to DCMS for the UK Town of Culture competition.

-       Facilitating a large skills summit attended by over 40 exhibitors and 1,000 Year 10 students from across the District.

One Member queried whether there were any indications on financial implications of Local Government Reorganisation on economic development within the District.

It was clarified that several Local Government Reorganisation briefings had taken place for Councillors. It was noted the new organisation following LGR would work with colleagues from GLCCA to establish plans for economic development, at that time.

Members praised the work of Claire Saunders, an Officer who had worked hard to assist Grantham Museum on a funding bid. 

Clarification was sought around the overall aims of the strategy. How much funding was allocated to economic development or whether the Council received funding from other organisations was queried.

The Leader of the Council confirmed there was a budget for economic development to pay for work carried out. There was a team of 3 colleagues in economic development. In the 2026/27 budget, £100,000 had been added to the Community Fund and £100,000 had been allocated for events.

The Assistant Director for Planning and Growth clarified the budget allowed certain events to take place within the action plan. The Team also facilitates conversations with other organisations in terms of learning and development to leverage economic benefits.

Further information was requested on whether there were any challenges with local stakeholder involvement. 

The Assistant Director for Planning and Growth highlighted the local economic forum was set up as part of the UKSPF funding process. The forum fed into how bids were analysed. The Council struggled with stakeholder engagement towards the end of the process.

The Leader of the Council noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

The Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement presented the report.

The report outlined further changes to the parking order which were brought in, during January 2025 alongside the addition of more parking spaces at Cattlemarket carpark in Stamford, the increase in footfall at Grantham Market and some changes to on-street parking in the centre of Stamford.

The Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement drew the Committee’s attention to the recommendations within the report and provided the following issues:

·       Disabled parking – The Council allowed free unlimited parking all day for all blue badge holders in all Council car parks, in all spaces. The location of disabled spaces within the car parks was being reviewed. 

·       Season tickets – Both Cattlemarket car park in Stamford and Wharf Road car park in Grantham were located close to their town’s railway stations and both had spare capacities on weekdays. The Council were looking to reduce the tariff on season tickets.

·       Bourne, Deepings and Billingborough – Car parking was currently free, however, a review was undergoing.

·       Underutilised capacity – Most prevalent in Cattlemarket, Stamford (Monday-Thursday) and Wharf Road in Grantham (all week). It was intended to reduce charges at these car parks for during these periods, in order to stimulate demand.

·       Higher turnover of spaces in the busiest short stay car parks – the Council could either put higher charges in for longer stays or have an absolute limit on the length of stay. 

It was highlighted the Council would be conducting a feasibility study into adding additional capacity in Stamford given that carparks were operating at full capacity on Fridays and Saturdays.

Disabled Parking

One Member noted 3 hours free parking was sufficient for a blue badge holder.

It was clarified blue badge holders would not be restricted on time spent in the car park. The issue was the combination of the time limit and charging, alongside how long it was fair to give blue badge holders free parking, before charging them.

Concern was raised that this initiative was to generate more money and not necessarily because there was a shortage of spaces. Members were worried about how a blue badge holder may perceive this change.

Clarification was sought on what would happen if a blue badge holder parked in an unmarked bay. This would then leave marked bays empty, and other members of the public cannot park. The Member had seen this occur at Guildhall Street carpark, Grantham.

The Council is to ensure the marked bays are the most conveniently located spaces in terms of the exit and closest to amenities.

A query was raised on how many people the disabled parking would impact and if an impact analysis had been undertaken where the Committee could scrutinise the metrics.

The Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement highlighted no decisions had been made on the parking review, this was a pre-decision scrutiny. It would then be presented to Cabinet for consideration.

The Deputy Chief Executive and S151 Officer confirmed a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

The Committee noted the Work Programme 2025/26.

7 May 2026 meeting:

-       Housing Revenue Account Plan

-       Future High Street Fund (Closure report)

-       Economic Development Strategy

-       LeisureSK Ltd Finance update report

September 2026 meeting:

-       UKPSF (Closure report)

There were none.

It is anticipated that under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item(s) on the grounds that it is likely, that if they were present, there could be disclosed to them exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

It was proposed, seconded and AGREED to go into private session and close the meeting.

‘Under Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public may be excluded from the meeting during any listed items of business, on the grounds that if they were to be present, exempt information could be disclosed to them as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 Schedule 12A of the Act.’

The Chairman closed the meeting at 12:28.